The present invention is generally directed to a beverage brewing apparatus and the operational components which comprise the beverage brewing apparatus.
Many types of beverage brewing apparatus have been developed in order to accommodate the requirements and uses of various beverage brewing applications. In particular, a class of beverage brewing apparatus evolved to accommodate general consumer applications, such as for home use. A home brewing apparatus typically has a smaller per use brewing capacity than most commercial apparatus. Various consumer requirements have raised problems requiring solutions.
Generally, there are two branches of the home brewing apparatus class: a flash heating apparatus, and a pour-over or displacement apparatus. Both types of consumer beverage brewing apparatus typically are arranged with a hood portion which supports a brewing basket thereunder with a carafe or decanter positioned below. The hood portion is attached in some manner to a body portion which houses a reservoir. In the flash heating apparatus, a rapid heating element is positioned in the reservoir to quickly heat water which is then transported to the basket to infuse the brewing substance retained therein to create the brewed beverage. In the displacement system, the reservoir is sized to retain a prespecified quantity of water in a heated state so that when water is poured into the brewing apparatus heated water is instantly displaced from the reservoir to infuse the beverage brewing substance.
Both types of apparatus require water to be poured into the apparatus to brew a beverage. A problem arises when the decanter is used to measure and pour the water into the apparatus. This problem is common in the flash heating type apparatus and even more prevalent in the displacement type apparatus. In the displacement type apparatus, once the water is poured into the apparatus, the water instantly displaces heated water which almost instantaneously creates a stream of brewed beverage from the brewing basket. If the user does not quickly place the decanter underneath the basket, the brewed beverage will spill onto the heating pad which typically has begun to heat. Spilling of the brewed beverage can result in staining the heating pad as well as possibly the heating pad and any electrical connections associated with the heating pad.
Solutions of the above filling problem presented to date have not appeared to solve the problem. One easy solution provided the user with a decanter and a separate measuring container at the time the beverage brewing apparatus was purchased. This solution is both cumbersome and wasteful in that it requires a user to use two containers and requires the manufacturer to produce and package an additional container which would not be necessary if the filling problem could be solved. Clearly, if the measuring container becomes damaged, the user may resort to using the decanter for measuring brewing water or may have to find another container for measuring and pouring brewing water.
Other solutions have attempted to create an interlock drain valve between the funnel drain and the decanter. In such an apparatus placement of the decanter below the funnel operates a release mechanism operating a drain valve in the funnel. A problem arises when the interlocking mechanism becomes damaged or is not properly used and brewing water fills the basket which may result in an overflow of the brewing water, the beverage brewing substance, and the brewed beverage; thus creating a burdensome mess. Clearly, it would be more desirable to control the flow of brewing water before it has flowed to the brewing basket.
Prior beverage brewing apparatus also have a problem with moisture loss. Moisture loss is common in both the flash heating as well as the displacement brewing apparatus. In the flash heating apparatus, brewing water can be lost when the apparatus is employed with a timer such that the brewing water is disposed into a fill basin prior to the desired brewing time. Depending on the conditions, a considerable amount of brewing water may be lost through evaporation prior to brewing the beverage. In the displacement apparatus, evaporative loss is accelerated to a degree because a quantity of heated water is retained in the reservoir in a heated state. Naturally occurring air movement through the brewing apparatus combined with the heating of the water may result in considerable loss of brewing water. A reduced quantity of brewing water results in undesirable and uncontrolled variations in the resultant brewed beverage.
Safety concerns are extremely important in any type of beverage brewing apparatus. As such, it is important to provide safety features to prevent overheating of water as well as to turn off the heating element when the water heating reservoir is emptied. Typically, thermostatic probes have been employed to sense the temperature of the water in the heating reservoir. For example, in the displacement apparatus, a thermostatic probe senses the water temperature and correspondingly turns the heating element on or off in order to maintain a predetermined temperature range. Similarly, thermostatic sensors are commonly placed in or near the bottom of the heating reservoir in order to sense rapid changes in reservoir temperature. A rapid change in temperature indicates that the reservoir has been emptied because there is little or no water in which to distribute the thermal energy from the heating element. When the sensor senses that the reservoir is empty, the heating element is turned off. Clearly, this low water type sensor is important in any type of beverage brewing apparatus.
In most beverage brewing apparatus, the hood portion extends over the decanter and the brewing basket is suspended beneath the hood portion and above the decanter. A discharge tube extends from the heating reservoir through the hood portion to dispense water into the brewing basket. A sprayhead is usually employed to distribute the heated water more evenly over the beverage brewing substance retained in the brewing basket. As the sprayhead is positioned over the beverage brewing basket, it is prone to accumulate materials such as oils, chaff, and fine particulate matter carried in the steam which rises off of the beverage brewing substance during the infusion process. Therefore, it is desirable provide a sprayhead which is easily removable from the beverage brewing apparatus for cleaning and repair purposes.
In the manufacture of beverage brewing apparatus, it is desirable to produce a product which is pleasing to the eye in its final form as well as easy to assemble during the manufacturing process. Typically, a beverage brewing apparatus must be inverted and reverted during an assembly process. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a beverage brewing apparatus which may be cumulatively assembled in one position throughout the entire assembly operation.